Snow making method and apparatus

ABSTRACT

A snow making machine has at least one flexible hose assembly, with an inner hose connected to a water supply and an outer jacket to receive coolant from a chiller. Ice/snow formed in the inner hose is dislodged by inflating squasher hoses in the outer jacket, and pressurised air fed via a line can assist transport of the dry snow crystals to the end of the hose assembly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

THIS INVENTION relates to improvements in or relating to artificial snowmaking machines and ice making apparatus and, in particular, but notlimited to, portable or semi-portable snow making machines capable ofuse on all terrains.

2. Prior Art

The present invention arises out of the perceived need to providealternative snow making machines which are very simple to operate andwhich can be readily moved about a site on any terrain, eg., on a skislope or hill, and to provide snow at a variety of locations with orwithout the use of refrigeration equipment.

The snow making techniques and apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.5,297,731 (ALFIO BUCCERI) suffered from a number of disadvantages. Themachinery was limited to a particular area of snow production only,being bulky and difficult to move around a field. As well, the machinecould not be easily used on an unprepared or rough ground. The coolantrequirement was high, and one leak could lead to a costly replacement.The machines could not be economically produced in bulk supply, due tothe many man hours required to produce a machine. The method ofdislodging the ice crystals could cause machinery downtime, due to thefact that one roller mechanism was working on multiple hoses. Therefore,if one hose failed, all the other hoses were non-productive whilerepairs were effected. In addition, the end product was sometimes toowet for immediate use and required further drainage, and the hoses werelimited to short lengths due to the complexity of the machinery.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to alleviate at least to somedegree the abovementioned problems associated with the prior art and togreatly increase the capacity and portability of the machine.

Other objects will become apparent from the following description.

In one aspect, the present invention resides in a hose assembly for asnow-making machine including:

an inner hose having an inlet connectable to a source of water and anoutlet for the discharge of the snow;

an outer jacket, surrounding the inner hose, connectable to a source ofcoolant; and

at least one pulsation tube within the outer jacket, connectable to asource of pressurised air or fluid, the pulsation tube(s) beingoperable, on the admission of the pressurised air or fluid, to deformthe inner hose to thereby release any snow attached to the inner surfaceof the inner hose and/or advance the snow towards the outlet of theinner hose.

In a second aspect, the present invention resides in a hose assembly fora snow making machine including:

an inner hose having an inlet connectable to a source of water and anoutlet for the discharge of the snow;

an outer jacket, surrounding the inner hose, connectable to a source ofcoolant; and

an air hose, connectable to a source of compressed air, operable tosupply the compressed air to the interior of the inner hose to transportdry snow in the inner hose towards the outlet thereof.

In a third aspect, the present invention resides in a hose assembly fora snow-making machine including:

an inner hose having an inlet connectable to a source of water and anoutlet for the discharge of snow;

an outer jacket connectable to a source of coolant;

at least one pulsation tube, within the outer jacket, connectable to asource of pressurised air or fluid, the pulsation tube(s) beingoperable, on the admission of the pressurised air or fluid to deform theinner hose to thereby release any snow attached to the inner surface ofthe inner hose and/or advance the snow towards the outlet of the innerhose; and

an air hose within the inner hose, connectable to a source of compressedair, operable to supply the compressed air to the interior of the innerhose to transport dry snow in the inner hose towards the outlet thereof.

The hose assemblies are flexible and portable so that one or more hoseassemblies can be rolled up together for transport purposes and laterlaid out flat for production of artificial snow.

The inner hose preferably protrudes from each end of the outer jacket,and the outer jacket and inner hose are connected together adjacent theends of the inner hose, and are both jointly flexible along theircombined length, including at their connections.

Hose deformation means are preferably employed to deform the hose torelease ice forming on inner walls of the inner hose. The deformationmeans of the first and third embodiments comprises a single pulsationtube, or multiple pulsation tubes, that is/are connected to the innerwall of the outer jacket so that, when filled with air or fluid underpressure, they deform the walls of the inner hose.

The introduction of pressure at regular intervals to the pulsationtube(s) that deform the inner hose, if effected in sequence from theinlet (or bottom) end to the outer (or top) end, also has the effect ofsqueezing and delivering the ice crystals that have formed to the outlet(or top) end of the hose where fluid is not present. Further pressurefrom the pulsation tube(s) adjacent the outlet end allows for thefurther squeezing of water from the ice to create a dry snow productwhich can be blown or delivered directly from the outlet end to theusage point without the need for drainage of the inner hose.

For the second embodiment, a roller, or pair of offset rollers, areadapted to travel along the hose assembly, from end to end, periodicallydeforming and releasing the hose assembly so that the ice can beperiodically discharged into the volume of water within the inner hosewithout threat of blockage.

The rollers are preferably interconnected and a pair of guide rails arepreferably employed for the rollers to travel along.

In one preferred embodiment, the hose assembly is laid out on an inclineand the rollers are retrieved using a winch and allowed to travel bygravity down the slope while at the same time periodically deforming andreleasing the hose assembly as they go. The process is repeated over andover again.

The hose assembly (or assemblies) can be laid in various forms whichneed not be a straight line.

The outer jacket of the hose assembly can be manufactured from a highlyconductive material such as thin plastic (eg., polyurethane) or metalfoil material, to allow for the use of the hose without refrigeration atlocations such as ski resorts where the temperature is well belowfreezing. In this application, the outer hose is cooled by thesurrounding air which transfers the heat from the coolant to air andchills the coolant without the need for a refrigeration plant to createthe ice crystals from the water within the inner hose. In thisapplication, the hose is laid on the hill and the inner hose is filledwith water and the gap between the inner and outer hose filled withcoolant. The low ambient air temperature chills the coolant which inturn chills the water in the inner tube and ice crystals are formed. Asair is introduced to the pulsation tube, the ice crystals are dislodged,moved to the top of the hose and dried. The snow is blown directly fromthe top of the hose.

The inner hose is preferably formed from a tightly-woven flexiblematerial lined with a thin impervious plastics, or rubber, material.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention resides in a snow makingmachine including:

a source of water;

a source of coolant;

pump means for the coolant; and

at least one hose assembly as hereinbefore described, with the inlet(s)of the inner hose(s) connected to the source of water and the outerjacket(s) connected to the pump means for the coolant.

In order that the invention can be more readily understood and be putinto practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanyingdrawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the present inventionand wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic pictorial view illustrating a snow making machineaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a typical section through 2—2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a typical section through 3—3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail of an end portion of a hose assemblyaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a section illustrating a connection for delivery of a brinecoolant to the hose assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates operation of a pair of rollers suitable for use inthe embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a schematic pictorial view illustrating a snow making hoseassembly of a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a typical section through the hose assembly shown in FIG. 7during operation of the snow making squashing process.

Referring to the drawings and initially to FIG. 1, there is illustrateda snow making machine 10 for producing artificial snow positioned on ahill 11. The machine 10 includes four hose assemblies 12, 13, 14 and 15,three of which are shown in phantom, it being understood that a singlehose assembly could be employed to operate the present invention.

As can be seen more clearly in FIG. 3, the hose 13 includes an innerhose 16 and an outer jacket 17 so that coolant (eg., brine) can becirculated between the outer jacket 17 and the inner hose 16 to form theice within the inner hose 16.

A chiller 18 delivers the coolant (eg., at or below −5° C.) to the hosesalong line 19, and the coolant is returned along line 20. Water isdelivered into the hose assemblies from a pump 21 and this is also usedto discharge ice and water from the hose assembly 22.

In order to release ice formed on the wall of the inner hose 16, thepresent invention, in one embodiment, uses deformation of the hoseassemblies 13 using a pair of rollers 23 and 25 which travel in concertalong rails 25 and 26.

Once the rollers have travelled the full distance to the ends 27 and 28,they can be retracted using suitable winch (not shown).

In order to operate the present invention, a flexible connection is madebetween the outer jacket 17 and the inner hose 16, and this is showngenerally at 29 in FIG. 4. In this way, the rollers 23 and 24 can travelover the connection without any problem.

FIG. 5 illustrates the typical connection for delivery of coolant to theouter jacket 17 and, as can be seen, a plurality of holes 30 areemployed to form a manifold for delivery of the coolant into the hoseassemblies 13.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is illustrated operation of the rollers23 and 24 and, as can be seen, these are offset so that different hoseassemblies are deformed at different times during the travel of therollers along the hose assemblies. Thus, by using appropriate timing andcontrol, continuous discharge of artificial snow can be achieved.

Referring to FIG. 7, there is illustrated an alternative snow makinghose assembly 113 for producing artificial snow. A plurality of the hoseassemblies can be employed to effect the present invention.

As can be seen more clearly in FIG. 7, the hose assembly 113 includes aninner hose 116 and an outer jacket 117 so that coolant 139 can becirculated between the jacket 117 and the inner hose 116 to form the ice142 within the inner hose 116.

A chiller (not shown) delivers coolant 139 to the assembly 113 alongline 119 and (brine) coolant is returned along line 120. Water isdelivered into the hoses from a pump 121 and an air hose 136 isconnected to an air receiver which is used to discharge dry ice from thehose assembly 113 at 122.

In order to release ice formed on the wall of the inner hose 116, thisembodiment uses deformation of the inner hose 116 using a series ofpulsation or “squasher” hoses 137 that are filled and emptied of air orfluid on a regular cycle. As the squasher hoses 137 are pressurised withwater or fluid, they deform the inner hose 116 which returns to itsundeformed state when the pressure is released.

Referring now to FIG. 8, there is illustrated operation of the squasherhoses 137, and as can be seen, that as these hoses 137 are pressurised,the inner hoses 116 are deformed. Thus, by using appropriate timing andcontrol, the squeezing action produces a continuous discharge ofartificial snow to the top of the hose assembly 113.

At the top of the snow assembly 113, in the dry area 142, the squeezingof the ice that has formed by the top squasher hoses 137 releases anyexcess water which drains back via gravity to the snow making waterbelow the water level 143.

In order to operate the present invention, a flexible connection is made115 between the jacket 117 and the hose 116 and this is shown generallyat 29 in FIG. 4. In this way, the squasher hoses 137 can travel over theconnection without any problem.

Various changes and modifications may be made to the embodimentsdescribed and illustrated without departing from the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A hose assembly for a snow-making machineincluding: an inner hose having an inlet connectable to a source ofwater and an outlet for the discharge of snow; an outer jacket,surrounding the inner hose, connectable to a source of coolant; and atleast one pulsation tube within the outer jacket connectable to a sourceof pressurised air or fluid, the at least one pulsation tube beingoperable, on the admission of the pressurized air or fluid, to deformthe inner hose to thereby release any snow attached to the inner surfaceof the inner hose and/or advance the snow towards the outlet of theinner hose.
 2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein: the inner hoseprotrudes from each end of the outer jacket, and the outer jacket andinner hose are connected together adjacent the ends of the inner hose,and are both jointly flexible along their combined length, including attheir connections.
 3. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein: atleast one pulsation tube is connected to the inner wall of the outerjacket so that when filled with air or fluid under pressure, deform thewall of the surface of the inner hose.
 4. An assembly as claimed inclaim 3 wherein: the introduction of pressure at regular intervals tothe pulsation tube that deform the inner hose, is effected in sequencefrom the inlet end to the outer end to have the effect of squeezing anddelivering the ice crystals that have formed in the inner hose to theoutlet end of the inner hose where fluid is not present.
 5. An assemblyas claimed in claim 4 wherein: further pressure from the pulsationtube(s) adjacent the outlet end allows for the further squeezing ofwater from the ice to create a dry snow product adapted to be blown ordelivered directly from the outlet end to the usage point without theneed for drainage of the inner hose.
 6. An apparatus as claimed in claim1 wherein: the outer jacket of the hose is manufactured from a highlyconductive material comprising polyurethane or metal foil material, toallow for the use of the hose without refrigeration at locations wherethe temperature is well below freezing, the outer hose being cooled bythe surrounding air, which transfers the heat from the coolant to airand chills the coolant without the need for a refrigeration plant tocreate the ice crystals from the water within the inner hose.
 7. A snowmaking machine including: a source of water; a source of coolant; pumpmeans for the coolant; and at least one hose assembly as claimed inclaim 1 with the inlet(s) of the inner hose(s) connected to the sourceof water and the outer jacket(s) connected to the pump means for thecoolant.
 8. A hose assembly for a snow making machine including: aninner hose having an inlet connectable to a source of water and anoutlet for the discharge of snow; an outer jacket, surrounding the innerhose, connectable to a source of coolant; an air hose, connectable to asource of compressed air, operable to supply the compressed air to theinterior of the inner hose to transport dry snow in the inner hosetowards the outlet thereof; and a roller, or pair of offset rollers, areadapted to travel along the hose assembly, from end to end, periodicallydeforming and releasing the hose assembly so that the ice can beperiodically discharged into the volume of water within the inner hosewithout threat of blockage.
 9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8wherein: the rollers are interconnected, and a pair of guide rails areemployed for the rollers to travel along.
 10. An apparatus as claimed inclaim 8 wherein: the hose assembly is laid out on an incline and therollers are retrieved using a winch and allowed to travel by gravitydown the slope while at the same time periodically deforming andreleasing the hose assembly as they travel, the process being repeatedover and over again.
 11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein: aroller, or pair of offset rollers, are adapted to travel along the hoseassembly, from end to end, periodically deforming and releasing the hoseassembly so that the ice can be periodically discharged into the volumeof water within the inner hose without threat of blockage.
 12. A hoseassembly for a snow-making machine including: an inner hose having aninlet connectable to a source of coolant; at least one pulsation tube,within the outer jacket, connectable to a source of pressurised air orfluid, the pulsation tube(s) being operable, on the admission of thepressurised air or fluid to deform the inner hose to thereby release anysnow attached to the inner surface of the inner hose and/or advance thesnow towards the outlet of the inner hose; and an air hose within theinner hose, connectable to a source of compressed air, operable tosupply the compressed air to the interior of the inner hose to transportdry snow in the inner hose towards the outlet thereof.
 13. An assemblyas claimed in claim 12 wherein: the inner hose protrudes from each endof the outer jacket, and the outer jacket and inner hose are connectedtogether adjacent the ends of the inner hose, and are both jointlyflexible along their combined length, including at their connections.14. An assembly as claimed in claim 12 wherein: at least one pulsationtube is connected to the inner wall of the outer jacket so that whenfilled with air or fluid under pressure, deform the wall of the surfaceof the inner hose.
 15. An assembly as claimed in claim 14 wherein: theintroduction of pressure at regular intervals to the at least onepulsation tube that deform the inner hose, is effected in sequence fromthe inlet end to the outer end to have the effect of squeezing anddelivering the ice crystals that have formed in the inner hose to theoutlet end of the inner hose where fluid is not present.
 16. An assemblyas claimed in claim 15 wherein: further pressure from the at least onepulsation tube adjacent the outlet end allows for the further squeezingof water from the ice to create a dry snow product adapted to be blownor delivered directly from the outlet end to the usage point without theneed for drainage of the inner hose.
 17. An apparatus as claimed inclaim 12 wherein: the outer jacket of the hose is manufactured from ahighly conductive material comprising polyurethane or metal foilmaterial, to allow for the use of the hose without refrigeration atlocations where the temperature is well below freezing, the outer hosebeing cooled by the surrounding air, which transfers the heat from thecoolant to air and chills the coolant without the need for arefrigeration plant to create the ice crystals from the water within theinner hose.
 18. A snow making machine including: a source of water; asource of coolant; pump means for the coolant; and at least one hoseassembly as claimed in claim 12, with the inlet(s) of the inner hose(s)connected to the source of water and the outer jacket(s) connected tothe pump means for the coolant.